Yunnan University holds a meeting on developing the purple pottery industry in Jianshui county, Yunnan province, with representatives from Jianshui government, at the university’s School of Art and Design, on Feb 20. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

Yunnan University (YNU) held a meeting on developing a purple pottery industry in Jianshui county, Yunnan province, at the university’s School of Art and Design, on Feb 20. 

The meeting was attended by Xu Lei, deputy chief of Jianshui county; representatives from Jianshui Center for Purple Pottery Industry Development, and other representatives from Jianshui government.

The YNU side was made up of Zhang Xing, Party secretary of YNU’s School of Art and Design; Wang Weidong, executive vice-dean of the school; Li Hao, deputy director of YNU’s Department of Technology, and other professors and scholars.

During the meeting, Xu highlighted some of the government’s achievements in developing a local pottery industry, but said there was still much work to be done, with problems remaining that needed to be ironed out. 

The YNU representatives offered their suggestions and solutions on developing the local pottery industry, as well as offering strategies to spur local economic growth. 

Jianshui-made Purple Pottery is billed as one of China’s most famous potteries. In 2002, it was included in the list for national intangible cultural heritage. 

In 2018, the YNU center tasked with passing down the techniques for making Jianshui-style purple pottery was included on a list of 55 centers recognized for preserving China’s cultural heritage by the Ministry of Education, providing recognition of YNU’s efforts to preserve unique traditions.